Customers bought photoframes infected with malware

Monday, 14 Jan 2008. Categories: USA

Electronic devices being sold with malware already installed are becoming an increasingly prevalent problem, it has been reported.

According to a report from The Register three US consumers have reported purchasing flat-panel displays for showing digital photos, which have attempted to install malicious code in their PCs, in the last month.

Although the technology news provider did not name the product in question, it did say that all three cases involved the same manufacturer and that they were bought at branches of Sam's Club.

Analysts are now trying to assess whether the malware originated at the supplier or at some stage in the supply chain - they could for instance have been returned to the shop, leaving open the possibility that they became infected while in the possession of other consumers.

Marcus Sachs, director of the Internet Storm Center, told the Register: 'Trying to [infect a product] all the way back at the factory - getting it through all the checks and balances - would be pretty hard to do.

"But doing it at the store, where there might be loose return policies, and [where] they put it back on the shelf - you are not going to get a million infections, but you might get a person from an investment bank next door."

News of the infected photo frames comes as Seagate last year reported that a Trojan had found its way into some of its disc drives at its factory.

The company blamed the outbreak on an infected computer at its manufacturing plant.

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Customers bought photoframes infected with malware

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